Panel-type doors consisting of a single, generally flat door panel, appropriate frame hardware surrounding the panel and corner connectors holding the edge frame members together. Hinges connecting one side of the door to a doorway, or upper and lower tracks on which the door slides or rolls are typically used for opening mechanisms. Double doors are constructed in which one door slides to one side in front of or in back of another adjacent door, or in which the two doors are connected together by hinges so that they open by folding. This invention is primarily useful for the by-pass type sliding or rolling doors. It may also be used with swing doors or pocket doors.
The frame hardware for such panel-type doors includes horizontal rails and vertical stiles fitted onto the ends and sides respectively of the panel. The rails and stiles each have a channel that receives the edge of the panel and are interconnected at each corner by corner connectors positioned in back of the panel.
The stiles of such door panels must be stiff enough to minimize any twisting or bending that could release the panel from the stile. Any force exerted on the stile in a direction away from the panel such as to open or close a panel may pull the stile away from the panel. This may result in the panel coming out of the corresponding channel in the stile or in the stile becoming bowed. This problem is accentuated by heavy panels such as glass or mirror panels because the forces acting on the framing hardware are greater.
There is a need for stiles and rails to grip the panels firmly enough to prevent the panel from slipping out of the channel and also to add to the stiffness and rigidity of the overall door. This is partly aesthetic and partly functional. Since many panel-type doors are assembled by hand from purchased frame hardware and separately purchased panels, there is also a need for these doors to be quickly and easily assembled without any special tools and to be inexpensive and simple to construct.